Gone Fishin'

stock photo- picture it more wintery

 While in North Carolina, M and I joined his brothers and their wives for a family fly fishing excursion. I was pretty excited going into it as I have always wanted to learn to fly fish but the necessary skill (and expensive gear) have kept me away. Now that I'm living a stone's throw from the Colorado river, I really have no excuse for not picking up the rod and reel. Last winter, I went out ice fishing, which was new to me. I guess it's only fitting that this year, I take up the fly rod.

Jennifer, Sara and I

  I can't pretend that I really know much more about fly fishing today than I did a week ago. I can tell you that in Helton Creek, we fished for brookie, brown and rainbow trout and that my licence cost $20. I can tell you that neoprene waders SAVE your toes from falling off in the icy water and that I seem to be really good at catching rocks, logs, trees.

Which brother will catch the biggest fish?

 Between the 6 of us, we ended the day with 30+ fish, all of us catching at least 3. Not too shabby, eh? Let me just take a moment to brag about sister-in-law Jennifer's catch. This girl caught 7 fish in 15 minutes! She definitely beat us all out for quantity AND it was her first time fly fishing. Well done, Jen!

  I ended up with 3 for the day but walked away with the largest fish of the day, a rainbow trout at 22". Turns out I get a citation (the good kind) for that...sweeeeeet. I also won the award for most flies lost in the bottom of the creek/top of the tree as I had to have them replaced at least 5 times during the day. I'm a bit clumsy that way, as many can tell you.

Sara getting jiggy with it (HA!)

 If you're ever looking for a similar southern adventure, try Helton Creek. We didn't run into any other fishermen/women (although it is late December) and the area is interesting and beautiful. There are kajillions of Christmas tree farms out here, adding to the festive aesthetic. You should definitely check out the Creekside Cabins in the area. We stayed at one called The Homeplace and it was incredible...fireplace, full kitchen, hot tub (Virginia Creeper bike trail in summer) and fishing right outside your door. Does it get any better?

 My 22" Rainbow and with my goofy guy

 Helton Creek is all catch and release and we are law-abiding folk (we had a cop with us for extra encouragement) so I can't tell you how any of these fish tasted but in my dreams they were real tasty!

The Ferguson Fishers